


Stanville

by miraculousstorytelling



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Firefly reference, Gen, Jaynestown AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 03:31:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9053443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculousstorytelling/pseuds/miraculousstorytelling
Summary: When Stan and Ford make a pit stop in a small town, they're shocked to find a statue in the middle of town square that bears a striking resemblance to Stan.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a Christmas gift for my sister, who originally suggested the idea! Merry Christmas!!

"Stanley..."

"Yeah?"

"What did you do?"

"I..." Stan was silent for a moment, staring up at the towering figure in front of him. "I don't know."

"There's a statue."

"You think I don't see that?!"

Ford scowled. "Why is there a statue of you in the middle of the town square?" He waved a hand at it. "And why are you wearing an eye patch?"

"I just said I don't know!"

Objectively, the statue was an excellent likeness, although Ford was tempted to point out they added a bit of height and more muscle than Stan had ever realistically possessed. "And why is it dedicated to Stan Patterson?"

Stan was glad he'd worn his beanie and a bulky sweater. At the very least, anyone here would likely struggle to recognize him. "I wasn't really, uh... using my real name back then."

"I thought you said you'd never been here before," Ford said.

"I don't _remember_ being here! I didn't even con anyone in South Dakota!" He gestured up at the statue, posing heroically with its foot resting on a stone barrel. "And I don't even wanna know what _that's_ for."

"I see you fine folks noticed our town's pride and joy!" A cheery voice sounded from behind them. Both men froze, though Ford was the only one bold enough to turn and face the new arrival. "That man there saved us all. Stan Patterson is a real hero."

Ford raised a brow, glancing back at the statue. "Really? What exactly did he do?"

"Why, he saved our town's water supply from a terrible fungus. Doc said if it hadn't been fixed up by Stan, well, the town would've dried up."

Stan went pale. "He did?"

"Didn't even take credit for it, either. No, sir. That man." The man settled a hand on Stan's shoulder. "He just saved us and vanished into the night."

Ford frowned. "How exactly did he do that?"

"Why, he poured this creation of his into the river. It killed the fungus and left the water clean!"

Stan grimaced and tugged up the collar of his coat. "Huh. Imagine that."

"He sounds like quite the hero." Ford slipped his hands into his coat pockets.

"Oh, he was!" He removed his hand from Stan's shoulder and turned to face Ford. "You folks should come by the diner later. The Stanville Players are on tonight, and they have a great song about our man Stan Patterson."

"Did you say Stanville?" Ford asked.

"Of course! Named after the town!"

Ford pulled out his map. "I thought this was town named Brookville."

The man chuckled. "Oh, my, no. We changed it to Stanville some fifteen years ago." He peered over Ford's shoulder. "That's an old map you have there. I can get you a new one." He squinted at Ford for a moment. "Say, you look an awful lot like Stan Patterson."

Ford laughed. "Oh, I assure you. I'm not Stan. My name is Stanford, and this is my brother, St-"

"Steve." Stan extended his hand, looking away enough to hide most of his face. "Uh, Steve Pinington."

"Well, Stanford and Steve, let me show you around."

"That's okay. We're just passing through," Stan said, already turning away.

"I insist! You must be hungry! Let me tell you, Jacob makes the best buffalo burgers you'll ever taste." Stan tried to protest, but the man was already leading Ford away. Stan was half-tempted to bolt anyway, but unfortunately he didn't have the keys to the car. As he debated his chances of successfully hitchhiking to anywhere that wasn't here, Ford shot him a look. So much for escaping. Stan reluctantly followed them further into town. "It was so nice meeting you folks here. We don't get a lot of visitors."

"Can't imagine why," Stan grumbled.

"I can't either!" The man chuckled. "Over there is our antique shop. Ms. Rosie runs it. Sweetest lady you'll ever meet, but don't insult her cats. She can be a firecracker. Oh! And there's the post office."

"This is great and all, but, uh, we should probably get going. Right, Ford?" Stan interrupted, tugging the brim of his beanie down just a bit as he spoke.

"Well, Steve's right. We're expected elsewhere." Ford agreed, though he was a bit reluctant to leave when he had so many unanswered questions.

"Don't you even have time for dinner? The diner's right around the corner. It'll take no time at all." their guide asked.

Stan shook his head. "We should really-"

"Maybe just a quick meal wouldn't hurt." Ford suggested. "We never stopped for lunch."

"Ford..."

"Wonderful!" The man grinned, clapping them both on the back and leading them to the small diner. "You won't regret it!"

Everyone greeted them as they walked in, setting off another panicked round of Stan hiding his face and sweating as the attention sent their way only increased. Even Ford began to look uncomfortable with the number of people openly watching them.

They sat at a table near the windows while their impromptu host chatted with the waitress nearby.

"We should go," Stan said under his breath, glancing over at a child nearby who was staring at him.

"Why are you so nervous, Stanley? You're a hero."

"It was an _accident_." Stan scowled. "I put it together when he talked about the fungus. All I did was unload some bad soda. Apparently, it caused some...digestive issues."

"Digestive...?"

"Let's just say I needed to get rid of it fast. So, I dumped it in the river, but this park ranger spotted me, and I had to leave half of it behind." Stan sighed. "It must've killed the bad stuff in their water, and they thought I did it on purpose."

Ford chuckled. "Well, it sounds like you're a hero in two places now."

Stan growled. "It's not funny, Poindexter. I didn't-"

"Stan!" A foreign voice called out, followed by the soft strum of a guitar. Stan jumped and whirled around to find the source. "The guy they call...Stan!"

Stan and Ford stared as a small group began to play in the corner of the diner.

"Well, look there!" The man who'd brought them to the diner settled in beside Stan. "You get to hear the Stanville Players after all. You folks are in for a real treat."

"Our love for him now's easy to understand..." the group sang, and the rest of the diner joined in to sing. "The hero of our town, the guy they call Stan!"

Ford was chuckling to himself, and Stan gritted his teeth while he listened in. "I don't believe this," Stan muttered.

"Neither do I," Ford whispered, barely breathing through his silent fit of laughter.

"The hero of our town, the guy they call Stan!"

Stan stood up the instant the song ended. "We're leaving."

Ford almost fought him on it, but the way Stan said it led him to suspect that would only lead to a fistfight over the car keys, so he reluctantly stood. "Yes, you're right."

Stan quickly stormed out of the restaurant while Ford said goodbye. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"That was him, wasn't it?" The man grinned. "He was Stan."

Ford frowned. "I think you may have the wrong man."

"Tell him thank you from us."

Rather than answer him, Ford turned and walked away.

 

He finally managed to catch up to Stan near the edge of town. "Stanley, what's going on?"

"Give me the keys, Sixer!"

 "Why are you so upset about this?"

Stan thrust out a hand wordlessly.

Ford sighed and tugged open the driver's side door. "I'll drive."

Stan rolled his eyes and opened the passenger's side door with a huff. He slammed the door closed behind him and tugged on his seat belt, missing the seat belt receptacle at least three times before he managed to jam it in.

Ford had never been so glad to be the one driving.

Stan refused to look at him while they drove away, staring at the open fields as they passed them by. His shallow breathing slowly evened out as the time passed, and Ford finally felt the atmosphere ease enough that he could ask.

"I know it was a little strange, but..." Ford glanced over. "You love being a hero back home. I thought you'd love being one there, too."

"That's different! I..." Stan grimaced. "I actually _meant_ to do that."

Ford frowned. "You still ended up saving that town."

"Yeah, on accident."

"So, why is that a problem?"

Stan sent him a sharp glare. "I don't deserve it."

"You..." Ford looked over at him. "But, Stanley you're a hero."

"Yeah, in Gravity Falls." Stan folded his arms over his chest. "And I should be, cause I _earned_ it."

"Oh." Ford sighed. He was quiet for a moment, then said, "You know, if we take shifts, we could probably be in Piedmont in a couple days."

Stan perked up. "Really?"

"I know we were planning to take our time, but..." Ford grinned. "I think we've seen enough."

Stan chuckled. "Bet Mabel'd love to see that statue."

Ford smirked. "Good thing I took a picture."

Stan grumbled, but this time Ford noticed a small smile. "Yeah, yeah..."


End file.
